Hong Kong -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- China has removed 162,629 `` phantom staff '' from government payrolls , as Beijing presses on with a campaign against official corruption and misuse of public money , state media reported .

Hebei province in central China was the worst offender , with 55,793 officials found to be getting paid even though they never worked , followed by Sichuan and Henan , state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday .

No `` phantom employees '' were found in Shanghai and Tibet , the report added .

President Xi Jinping has made rooting out corruption a top priority since taking power amid widespread suspicion that government officials use their position for personal gain .

The People 's Daily also said that 114,418 official vehicles had been scrapped out of a total of 119,846 .

China has promised to phase out the use of government vehicles by the end of 2015 , except for those used for emergencies and law enforcement .

The news reports did not shed light on how employees could receive a paycheck without showing up for work , but Hong Kong-based commentator Frank Ching said it was not unheard of for senior Chinese officials to employ friends and family members .

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China says it has removed 162,629 `` phantom staff '' from provincial government payrolls

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Beijing has launched a campaign against official corruption and misuse of public money

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114,418 official vehicles have also been scrapped as China 's president roots out graft .